Seeing Red
by Lance Prime
Summary: A trainers quest for revenge. Reviews welcome and wanted. OC plus Characters from the Games with influences of the anime.
1. Prologue  Crushed

The wind howled around the peak of Mount Silver that night, the snow flow around him but Red barely batted an eye. He had been up here for three years now, and the conditions had only strengthened him, trained him and his Pokémon to the peak of their ability. They were the best, having beaten the previous League champion, Lance and dismantling the nefarious Team Rocket almost single handed, but Red knew that the bond between him and his friends could only ever get stronger. He had made a promise to himself, when he started on his journey that he would be the best, and be considered a Pokémon Master, and so far he had fulfilled his dream. He chose to live here now, where the harsh weather and conditions meant that only the strongest wild Pokémon could survive, and he had spent the last three years training against them. On rare occasions, other trainer's sought him out, to test him, to try and take his place as Master, but all of them had been beaten back, once of twice even Lance had visited him, in an attempt to take back his title as Pokémon Champion. Other than that though, the only contact Red had was his old rival, and now friend Blue, who came up to visit now and again, although since he had overtaken the Viridian Gym, on top of his research these visits had become less frequent.

Red drew his jacket closer around him, tonight was colder than usual, and he didn't like it. Something was coming, and Red could not shake the feeling that it would not end well for him and his friends. Reaching around to his the small of his back he felt for his Pokéballs, counting them slowly, with all of six of them there, he should have nothing to worry about. They were the strongest team in Kanto, and at the risk of sounding arrogant, possibly even Johto as well. He had met many trainers from that region, and although their Pokémon were new, and some of the trainer's were considered the best in the League, they stood no chance against Red.

It was then that Red heard the crunching of footsteps in the snow. Standing up, he brushed the snow from his pants and turned around. The sound of footsteps getting louder Red took in a deep breath, knowing his luck it was going to be another trainer, who felt like they had something to prove against the almighty Red. He wondered how easy this one would go down, and deep inside hoped this one would give some sort of challenge, unlike any of the recent challengers. As the newcomer reached the top of the mountain, and began to walk through the snow, Red saw his hunch had been correct, but he was still surprised, the trainer heading towards him was just a boy. Even though Red was only 14 himself, it still surprised him that someone that young had made it up the mountain to meet with him, let alone beat the Elite Four and Lance. Red said nothing as the boy stood there, panting slightly from the climb, only noticing similarities between the boy and himself, there was a look about him, something different that stood him apart from the other trainers. Red smiled, this should be interesting.

"Welcome, to Mount Silver trainer. You've done well to climb to the peak." Red began, the words sounding strange in his ears, it had been too long since he spoke to another person.

"Oh, hey thank you. Yeah, it was a bit of a steep climb" the newcomer replied breathlessly, looking back down the mountain, as if trying to see through the fog of snow. "So, you must be Red, the Pokémon master right? My names Ethan, from New Bark Town."

Red nodded and thought upon the name of the town Ethan had said he was from, New Bark Town, it sounded so familiar. Suddenly it dawned on him, it was a town in Johto, hometown of Professor Elm, a Pokémon Researcher who had visited Professor Oak once when Red had returned to Pallet Town, after defeating Lance and Blue, who had only just become the champion.

"Very well Ethan, I assume you wish to battle?" Red asked, clearing his throat in anticipation, his gut wrenching, this was different. This trainer was different and Red knew for certain that this was what he had been feeling before Ethan had turned up. Pulling a Pokéball from his belt he let out Pikachu, his strongest and most loyal friend. Pikachu looked up at Red and with a nod, ran out in between the two trainers, prepared for battle.

"Yes! Thank you!" Ethan grinned, and reached behind him pulling out a Pokéball, "Donphan, I choose you!"

Red smiled slightly, Ethan was reminding him more of himself when he started out, and the Pokémon he chose was a good way to start the match. "Pikachu, use quick attack now" Red commanded, at the same time as Ethan called out his attack. The Donphan quickly curled itself up and began to roll towards Pikachu at an alarming speed, too quick for Pikachu to come out of its quick attack and dodge. Red grunted himself as the Donphan's attack struck true, "Pikachu, get up and use Iron Tail on it, quickly!"

"Donphan you know what to do, now!" Ethan yelled. Donphan stopped rolling around in the snow and jumped in the air, beginning to spin as it landed, burrowing underground.

"Pikachu be careful! Donphan is using dig!" Red called, but it was too late, Pikachu's attack was nearly finished and hit the ground just before Donphan rocketed out of the ground, hitting Pikachu with the full force of its attack. Pikachu hit the ground with a thud and passed out.

"Oh Goddamn it!" Red cursed and summoned Pikachu back into its ball. It has been so long since anyone had even managed to defeat just one of his Pokémon, but that was ridiculous, Ethan had beaten him so quickly. Growling Red grabbed at another Pokéball and sent out his Blastoise, commanding it to use Hydro Pump instantly. He needed to teach this punk a lesson, and finish the rest of this match quickly. Blastoise, sensing Red's impatience hit Donphan with a fierce Hydro Pump, echoing its trainer's rage. Donphan hit a rock with such force that the rock broke and Donphan passed out. Ethan stared at Red as he called Donphan back, surprised and a little afraid of the ferocity of Red's commands. Patting Donphan's ball Ethan congratulated it before slipping it in his pocket.

Red grunted again, this time not amused by how much Ethan reminded him of his younger self. It was naive to act like that in a battle of this much importance, and why support a Pokémon who failed. Shaking his head Red considered his strategy, as the next Pokémon sent out was an Ampharos, an electric type. It was strange, but Red had the feeling that whatever Pokémon he used, this Ethan had a team that was prepared to take advantage of every weakness he had. As the battle dragged on, Red's fear proved to be correct. Ampharos dominated the battle with Blastoise, but was defeated by Snorlax, a move Red felt would help end the battle quicker, and prevent his first loss in four years, a strategy that failed when Ethan countered by using his fighting type Pokémon, Hitmontop, who used his superior speed and fighting moves to take advantages of Snorlax's weaknesses. Charizard came next and was pitted against his opponents Feraligatr, and when Charizard fell Red called upon his Venusaur to deal with Ethan. Ethan countered this with Noctowl who used his flying techniques to prey upon Venusaur's vulnerabilities.

Red reach for his last Pokéball, desperation clouding his mind, not since his battles with the Elite Four three years ago, had anyone present so much of a challenge, clearing out his team one by one with relatively no trouble. For the first time Red considered the fact that he might lose, with Lapras being his last hope, and Ethan still having Noctowl and an unknown Pokémon left to battle with. Closing his eyes he threw Lapras into the fray.

"Lapras! You're my last hope in this, use Blizzard now!" he commanded, grinning as the wind tossed Ethan's Noctowl left and right, battering him with chunks of ice until she fell to ground, unconscious. Red relaxed slightly, it was one on one now, and with Lapras on his side, it was almost impossible for him to lose. He was a Pokémon Master, a title he had defended for 3 years, and he wasn't about to lose to some upstart trainer from Johto. Red looked at Ethan, who after this intense struggle was still smiling, enjoying the challenge. Red snorted, soon he was going to knock the smirk of that boy's face. Ethan grabbed his last Pokéball, and sent out his last Pokémon, a sight that made Red's face drop in shock and fear. Just seeing that Pokémon, Red knew his reign as Master was over. Before Lapras stood a Pokémon Red had never thought he would ever see, the legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh, in all its glory, took off into the sky and began circling, a pattern of rainbows streaming behind it as it circled above Lapras and Red.

"Lapras...use Ice Beam!" Red shouted hoping that if he struck quickly and aggressively he could take the legendary bird out before he had the chance to attack. Red's heart soared as the beam struck true, hitting Ho-Oh square in the chest. Ho-Oh cried out, as the ice began to creep over its wings and face, freezing it.

"Ho-Oh!" Ethan shouted, his voice carrying above the wind, "Use Sacred Fire now, before its too late!"

Ho-Oh screamed in triumph as he lit up, the fire generated from his body, engulfing the legend, melting the ice around him, and pouring away from him, straight towards Lapras. Red closed his eyes, sighing deeply. He didn't even need to see the result of the attack. Lapras was done, and so was Red. No longer would be considered a Pokémon Master, no longer would he be the ultimate prodigy. He didn't understand, he hadn't slacked off, he had trained every day, training his Pokémon to be the toughest they could be, to fulfil his dreams, his hopes. All of it was gone now though. Red brought Lapras back into its ball. Once again, he ran his fingers over the Pokéballs housing his team, but this time something felt different. Pikachu's ball, felt odd, heavier than normal, something was wrong. Letting Pikachu back out of his ball, he saw the problem immediately, Pikachu was still unconscious, but was letting out bursts of electricity, whimpering in pain each time. Picking up his best friend, Red stared at Ethan, who was still celebrating his win, hugging the legendary bird tight congratulating themselves. Growling Red began to run, down the mountain, towards the nearest Pokémon Centre, even though it was a day's journey, Red had to make it. He had to help Pikachu before it was too late.

Ethan smiled and turned away from Ho-Oh to speak to Red, "Hey, thank you for the battle..." he began, before seeing that the former Master wasn't there. "What...where did he go?" Ethan turned to Ho-Oh, who cooed and nuzzled at Ethan's shoulder.

"Oh well, lets head back to New Bark Town Ho-Oh, and celebrate the good news with Professor Elm and Mom!" He shouted, jumping onto the Legendaries back, and flying away from Mount Silver, back to Johto.

* * *

><p>Red sat in the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town, in front of a row of gravestones. His head bowed, cross legged staring at the freshest grave there. Behind him stood Mr Fuji, the old man, who owed Red his life. Red had been there for nearly two days, almost unmoving. His other Pokémon had been at the Pokémon Centre since his arrival, and Mr Fuji had been popping in to check on them. They were not the same Pokémon Fuji remembered, now that Pikachu was no longer with them, the life had gone out of them, and their spirit. The same held true for Red. No longer was he the idealistic, young man from four years ago, something had snapped in him. The only movement he had made since Pikachu's burial was to tie the Pokéball to a leather strap that he now wore around his neck. Since then, all he had done was sit there, unable to cry.<p>

Days later, Red finally emerged from the Pokémon Tower, in the middle of the night and collected the rest of his team from Nurse Joy. As he reached the exit of the town, Mr Fuji stopped him, touching him gently on the shoulder.

"Red..." he began, his voice soothing and calm, as it always had been, "Where do you plan to go? What do you plan to do?"

Red shrugged, and walked away again, away from Mr Fuji, away from Lavender Town, away from everything. There was nothing left for him, no reason to continue the way he had. He was going to find something, before he drove himself into insanity. He would not let Pikachu's memory fade, and he would not let his legacy disappear like that. Ethan had taken everything from him, and Red hated him for it.


	2. Chapter 1  An Introduction, and a Loss

So I decided to write more of this, since the couple of reviews I did get seemed positive, which I'm very very grateful for. So this is the first chapter, it is quite short, but it gets what I needed said in this. Please review if you want, as it would be greatly appreciated and I'll try and get Chapter 2 started as soon as possible.

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><p>The sun was rising above the horizon, bathing the trees in its magnificent orange glow. The scurrying of insects and other creatures preparing to rest for the day, was only matched by the sound of other creatures awakening. It was still too early for most people to be awake, but that had never bothered Alastair before. He preferred this time of day, sitting out on Route 24, watching the Pokémon run around in the fields, and swim in the river under the bridge. The lights from Cerulean City, still dimly flickering in the distance, he would spend the first few hours of every day watching them. He often wished he had a Pokémon of his own, but at 18 years old it seemed unlikely he would ever get one again. It had been 7 years since his first, and only Pokémon had been taken from him, with his trainer's licence, 7 years of regretting what he had done.<p>

At 10 years old, the Kanto league allows a person to apply for a Pokémon Trainers licence, and is allowed to be given their first Pokémon to look after, and train and grow with. Alastair had been given a Grimer, by his parents. However, with a few other boys his age, Alastair joined a gang, and eventually was caught by the Cerulean Police Force and charged with assaulting a person with a Pokémon. Grimer was taken from him immediately and his licence was revoked. It was strongly suggested that Alastair did not bother to apply for another licence as misuse of Pokémon was a serious offence, and only if the League decided that he had truly earned a second chance, would he be allowed to apply again.

So at 18 years old, Alastair was one of the very few who did not have a Pokémon companion, a fact he wished most desperately to change. Staring at the pale orange light on the horizon, Alastair stood, stretched and sighed, before picking up his bike and beginning the ride back home. Perhaps it was for the best he did not have a Pokémon right now though. There had been some terrifying stories recently, about a group of trainers attacking trainers, and more specifically Gym Leaders, some of whom had been found weeks later, wounded and sick on roadsides far from their home towns. He had overheard a rumour that the leader of the Viridian Gym, had claimed to have been tortured for 4 days before he finally gave in and relinquished his Pokémon to the mysterious group.

There had always been groups who acted like that in the world though. In Kanto and Johto there had been Team Rocket, who seemed to want to steal everything, and other groups had other agendas, in Unova, there had recently been a Team Plasma, a group set on freeing Pokémon from their oppressive human masters. This new team seemed different though, they didn't want to free the Pokémon, or steal them for themselves, but from what Alastair could gather, they seemed to want to shut down the league itself. Shaking his head he pedalled faster, heading straight for home. His parents would be awake soon, and if they knew he had snuck out, they would throw all sorts of accusations about.

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><p>Very few places in Kanto, were as secluded and dangerous as the ruins of Cinnabar Island. After the Volcano finally erupted years ago, people had stopped coming to see it, even the Pokémon centre had been abandoned now, for fear of the Volcano erupting again. That wasn't a problem for Him, however, he welcomed the risk, and the seclusion. People wouldn't look for Him here, or anyone else that was brought to Him, it was the perfect place to hide, especially now people were hunting for Him. He had done a lot in the last year, with His army of followers, He had attacked, tortured and broken the spirits of trainers and Gym Leaders alike around the continent, but it was not going unnoticed. Rumours of who He was had reached him, all inaccurate but He was glad that he was getting somewhere. He chuckled at the most recent rumour, in Viridian City, they seemed positive it He was Giovanni, the disgraced leader of Team Rocket, beaten twice, by children.<p>

He ran His hands over the Pokéballs at his belt, all 5 were still there. Even through the Pokéballs He could feel the Pokémons emotions, they all felt the same, and agreed with Him. It was nearly time for the next phase of his plan. Once 4 of the 8 Kanto Gyms had closed their doors, the League would take notice, when trainers stopped coming to their doors. Staring at a map of Kanto, he nodded, Cerulean's Leader would be next.

* * *

><p>As Alastair sped round the corner onto his street, he knew something wasn't right. Police cars lined the street and there was a crowd of people milling about outside his house. Stopping and getting off his bike, Alastair began to push his way through the crowd, struggling to get to his front door. As he reached the edge of the crowd his heart sank. His mother was on her knees, clinging to the arm of a police officer, sobbing desperately. Alastair sprinted towards her and grabbed her hand, staring at the officer, confused and scared.<p>

"Ah...Alistair..." The officer began, his voice faltering

"Officer, what the hell is going on here!"

"I'm so sorry son, it's your father. He was found dead this morning..."

Alistair sank to his knees next to his mother, his eyes filling up, "What...do you mean...?"

"We, believe he was murdered. Possibly by the same group that took the Viridian Leader. One of his Pokémon...was found dead in front of the Gym next to him..."

Alastair choked, looking for words, his thoughts scrambling around, looking for anything which made sense. This couldn't be right, his Father was a Gym Leader, one of the top trainers in Kanto, how could he have been killed.

The officer coughed, "I'm so sorry Alastair..." he cleared his throat again, almost as if he was tearing up himself, "Your Father was a good man and a good friend to many of us...if there is anything we can do...please let us know."

Alastair could do nothing but nod. The words still not making sense to him, it was impossible, and illogical. His mothers' crying was the only real thing he could hear, and that made it worse. His father was gone, and there was nothing Alastair could do.

The sun, as if sensing the mood hanging over Cerulean City, disappeared behind a dark cloud, as rain started to fall. If it had been any other time, Alastair would have grunted at the coincidence, right now, the only thing he could think about was his mother, and finding the man responsible for their loss.


	3. Chapter 2   Beginnings, Old and New

So this is Chapter 2, done a lot quicker than Chapter 1 was, but I have a bit of free time right now, so I'm going to try and focus on doing this. I hope everyone that reads this, enjoys it and any reviews or comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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><p>Cerulean City, the floral lagoon city, used to be a place of joy. Residents lived in harmony with the nature around them, the sea to the north, and the mountains to east and west, and people from all over the world would come to see the beautiful city, and walk along Cerulean Cape. The last six months had been different though, an atmosphere of fear and tension had settled over the city. The death of their Gym Leader was just the beginning of Cerulean's troubles. More and more trainers were being attacked, and the usual spectacles of Pokémon battles that filled the streets had ceased. Nobody wanted to battle anymore, for fear of being attacked. Beloved Pokémon, usually allowed to run around outside of their balls with their trainers were kept inside, for their own safety.<p>

Six months, and Cerulean had changed so much. Alastair had changed with it. His father's murder had caused a yearning to find the people responsible inside him. A desire so strong it empowered him and pushed him into doing something he thought he would never do. Gritting his teeth Alastair finished his cigarette and threw it into the yard, just as the phone started ringing inside. His mother was out buying food so it he had to answer he supposed. Picking up the phone and flicking the monitor on, the shape of a tall man began to appear.

"Hello there, is this Alastair Golan?" the stranger started. Alastair recognised him from somewhere, the greying spiked hair, the white lab coat.

"Yes, who is this?" He asked, his heart skipping, he was certain he knew what this call was about.

"Oh, yes sorry, my name is Professor Blue Oak, from Pallet Town Pokémon Research Centre. Look Alastair, this is a very special case, but the Pokémon League received your application to regain your trainer's licence. After examining your circumstances, and the glowing report we got about you from Officer Jenny, we have allowed your request. You are now a Pokémon trainer; however, we are not allowed to give you your first Pokémon back, for reasons which should be obvious. However, I personally am allowing you to have one of mine, along with 10 Pokéballs to help you."

Alastair sat there his mouth open, staring at the Professor. He didn't think they would allow him to get his licence back, yet here was the famous Professor Oak, nephew of the even more famous Samuel Oak, telling him he could train Pokémon again.

"Thank you sir...this means so much to me..."Alastair choked, closing his eyes, trying to hold back tears.

"Not a problem Alastair, I knew your father quite well. I am so sorry for your loss. I do have a few requests however. Look after this Pokémon, it is already quite strong, as I have trained it myself, which should help if you come across any...unsavoury people, but it still needs a lot of care. Secondly, I would like you to come to Pallet Town as soon as possible. My Uncle and I have something to ask of you."

"Yes...certainly Professor, thank you. Thank you so much."

"Your new licence and Pokémon will come through shortly. I look forward to seeing you Alastair. Goodbye."

* * *

><p>It had been a long time since Red had been home. Pallet had changed; it seemed bigger, less friendly and a lot quieter. However with everything happening he supposed it was to be expected. He sat on the hill overlooking the town. His coat pulled tight around him, his hair blowing in the cold morning wind. He had been wandering Kanto for over 17 years, avoiding cities, or anywhere that anyone would have recognised the fallen Champion. A few sought him out, accosting him in the forests, but even with only 5 Pokémon, Red still proved that he was a challenge and continued his almost impeccable winning streak. His Pokémon had changed with him after Pikachu's death however, they fought harder, they were crueller, so was he, but every battle made it that much more obvious to him that Pikachu was gone.<p>

He remembered the day he met Pikachu as if it was yesterday. The day he met his best friend, he had woken up late on the morning of his 10th birthday, and had missed the chance to choose one of the three Pokémon Professor Samuel Oak gave out once a year to new trainers. The only one left, was one that Professor Oak had been keeping aside, as it was thought to be too dangerous to give to a new trainer. However, Red was stubborn and eventually Oak gave in, and allowed Red to have the Pikachu.

It didn't start well for the pair, with Pikachu being just as stubborn as Red and not listening to half of his trainer's commands, and generally refusing to stay in its Pokéball. Eventually though, Pikachu began to listen to Red, even sometimes going in its ball, when it was really necessary. Together Red and Pikachu had done so much, defeating Team Rocket, and becoming the Pokémon Champion. Defeating countless trainers, with his friend by his side, Red felt unstoppable, at 13 years old he was already known far and wide as a Pokémon Prodigy. Red sighed, looking back on it now; he didn't think he could have done any of that without Pikachu. Standing up he stretched, and clasped the Pokéball around his neck, the home of his most beloved friend.

Walking into Pallet town, sure that nobody would recognise him now, at 30 years old, hair long and greying, dark coat pulled tightly around him, he headed straight for a cafe he remembered enjoying as a child, here with his mother. It was almost empty; he ordered a coffee and looked at the television. On the screen it looked as if a large crowd was gathered, to listen to a few people speak, some of whom looked like trainers, and a few Pokémon researchers were there too. Red grimaced as he recognised two of them, both of the Oak Professors. People he used to consider friends, who had let him down in the end, just like everyone had.

Draining his coffee Red stared at the trainer who was standing behind Blue. Those eyes, Red would never forget those eyes. Even after 18 years, they were still filled with zeal and determination. Ethan, it was him. The man Red had promised that he would destroy one day. It was then the other trainers began to interest him, all of them sharing the same look in their eyes.

"Can you turn this up." Red said to the waitress, his voice gruff but deliberate, making it clear there was no question there, it was an order.

The waitress stared at him, nodded and walked off, shaking slightly. Red grunted again and listened to the announcer.

"Today, at the base of Mount Silver, the World Pokémon Champion, Ethan, announced his plan to start what he called a Global Elite Four, with himself as the current champion. This decision has been supported by the official Pokémon League, and means that any trainer from across the world, once meeting the requirement of 24 badges, from any of the 5 regions, can challenge these 5 trainers, Leaf, the current Kanto Champion, May, the current Hoenn Champion, Lucas, the Champion of Sinnoh, and Hilda the Champion of Unova. If these 4 four champions are defeated then the last challenge will be a battle against Ethan himself." The announcer stopped to let the audience hear the crowd cheering as Professor Oak Senior spoke,

"Furthermore, any trainer that beats the Elite Four of their region, may have a chance to fight the Global Elite Four member representing that region, and on winning may be allowed to replace them as Region Champion, and if Ethan is beaten, then that trainer will replace him. This news has come at a great time, and Ethan has stated that he hopes it will rally trainers, especially those from Kanto to rise up against the difficulties they are facing and carry on training their Pokémon."

Red stood up, knocking the chair over behind him. Glowering he walked out of the cafe. Ethan didn't deserve to be World Champion. Red did, Ethan would pay, but first Red needed a way to get his attention.

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><p>As soon as the phone clicked off, and Professor Oak's face disappeared Alastair ran upstairs and began to pack a bag, throwing his things in there. His mind was a blur, there was so much he needed to do, first he had to sign his licence and register the new Pokémon as his own, he had to explain to his mother what had happened, and then he could leave. He smiled for the first time in months, he felt like he was 10 again; there was so much he wanted to do, and so many Gym Badges to collect.<p>

Alastair stopped, in his tracks, Gym Badges, that was why he applied for the licence again. There were only 3 gyms in Kanto currently operating, Viridian, Celadon, and Cinnabar. The rest had been killed, like his father, or tortured and shut their gyms down out of fear. Alastair had to find out who was doing this, and make them pay. Growling at himself for forgetting his purpose Alastair finished packing and went back downstairs. Looking at the phone he saw an envelope and a set of Pokéballs had arrived for him. Staring at the Pokéballs he opened the envelope, inside was a letter of congratulations from the Pokémon League, signed by the Kanto champion, Leaf, and a reminder from her personally it seemed, that he was a special circumstance and Pokémon trainers had a responsibility to treat Pokémon well. Folded inside the letter, was the small card Alastair had waited 7 years for, his new licence. The licence didn't seem like much, but it was everything to a Pokémon trainer. It registered every battle the trainer had, and recorded the result, it also kept a record of what badges had been obtained, how many Pokémon the trainer currently owned, and acted as an Identification card. As well as this it acted as a credit card, linked to Alastair's bank account, which sent and received money to and from other trainers after each battle. Alastair never really understood how it worked, but since Silph Co. invented it 3 years ago, it had stopped trainers from breaking regulations and not paying their losses.

Quickly Alastair signed the back of the card, and grabbed the Pokéballs. He smiled, quickly finding the one with the Pokémon inside, it felt warmer than the others, like you could feel like life of the Pokémon inside it. Holding his breath he released the Pokémon, his eyes closed, wondering what Professor Oak would have sent him.


	4. Chapter 3 To New Friends & Old Losses

Ok so here is the third chapter of Seeing Red. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, read, and enjoyed this story. It gives me a lot of encouragement knowing people actually read it, and like it. I hope you enjoy this one just as much.

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><p>Lavender Town, for all of its cosmetic changes, had changed very little since the first time Blue had been here. Where the Pokémon Tower once stood, there was a Radio Tower, the graves of all the Pokémon, had been moved to the House of Memories, ran by an elderly Mr Fuji. He had been the sole caretaker of the Pokémon graves for nearly 20 years and yet, he still seemed to remember every single Pokémon buried there, and the trainers that came to visit the burial places of their lost friends. The town was still solemn however, every resident respectful and aware of the responsibilities their town had as the protectors of the dead.<p>

Deep below the streets, in the catacombs that stretched beneath the town, Blue knelt by a small gravestone, his eyes closed, whispering to himself. Standing close by was Mr Fuji, a small lantern clasped in his frail hands, the light flickering, lighting up all of the surrounding graves. Very few people came down here anymore, the Pokémon that lay here, had all been dead for so long, that in most cases, the trainers had joined them in the afterlife. Blue was an exception however, being only 10 years old when his Raticate had died. Standing up he looked at Mr Fuji and nodded, following the elderly man's lead out of the catacombs.

Soon, Blue was back outside, the sun warming his skin and raising his spirits, he had visited the grave of his old Pokémon every year since it had died on his tragic trip on the S.S. Anne, and if he was honest, the regret and guilt of what sort of trainer he was back then, never really left him. He hoped he had made all of his Pokémon and friends proud though, losing to Red in his first match as Champion had taught him to grow up, and he had decided to better himself, first becoming the leader of the Viridian Gym for a short period of time, and then following his Uncle's footsteps in becoming a renowned Professor. Silently he followed Mr Fuji through the winding streets of Lavender, towards the old caretakers house.

When they arrived they sat opposite each other, while Mr Fuji's granddaughter made tea for the pair.

"The catacombs, has seen a lot of activity recently Blue..." Mr Fuji began, his voice still strong and kind, as if it hadn't been touched by age at all,

"Yeah, I have been hearing the stories. A group going around attacking trainers and killing their Pokémon if they get the chance, they've been killing trainers too."

Mr Fuji sighed softly, nodding, "It's disgraceful, such disrespect for life, whomever is behind these attacks, must be full of rage."

"What do you mean?" Blue asked, he had never thought about the reasons behind the attacks, only how horrific some of them had been,

"From the moment we are born, each child is taught to love and respect Pokémon, it's that principle that allows our relationships with them to blossom. There has to be a reason for a person to go against something like that. Some horrible tragedy that has twisted their soul into a creature that hates Pokémon and uses them only to destroy others..." Mr Fuji's brows furrowed, deep in thought, "There is one thing that still has me stumped though, a Pokémon will very rarely kill another, no matter what a trainer commands."

Blue closed his eyes and thought back on all of the things he had heard from his Uncle and other officials in Kanto, all of the deaths, even the human ones, had been caused by Pokémon. One woman was burned by what forensics said was a Charizard's flamethrower, another's spine was crushed by a Skull Bash.

"A Pokémon would never kill a human either would it, Mr Fuji?"

The old man nodded, "Yet, these Pokémon are killing people. The bond between the trainer behind these attacks, and their Pokémon must be extremely strong, and all of them are hurting more than we can imagine, and they are angry."

Blue sighed and stood up, thanking his old friend for the tea, and left. He had a lot of think about, and a lot to talk about with his Uncle. This needed to stop as soon as possible.

* * *

><p>Alastair opened his eyes slowly, the Pokémon he had just released hadn't made a sound yet, and Alastair still had no idea what it was. He knew what he wanted, over the years he had spent a lot of time thinking about it. He hoped that when he opened his eyes, he would see a Squirtle waiting for him, but he was disappointed. There was no shell, no round blue face with big eyes waiting for him. Instead the first thing he noticed was the tail, fluffy, brown with a lighter tip. He sighed, an Eevee, that was not what he had expected at all. Professor Oak had an Umbreon though, so maybe he had given Alastair one of his Umbreon's offspring. Reaching down he stroked the small brown Pokémon between its ears and it growled happily.<p>

Alastair smiled, it was affectionate, and he had to admit it did look kind of cute, and maybe, if it was one of Professor Oak's hand raised Pokémon, then maybe it had inherited its parent's strength. It was then that he saw the front door open and his mother walked in, carrying brown bags full of groceries.

"Oh hi Alastair," She said, only noticing him as she closed the door behind her, "Give me a hand with these will you,"

Alastair smiled and took the bags from her, and followed her into the kitchen.

"Did anyone call while I was out?" she asked, seemingly oblivious to the small Pokémon sitting in the middle of the floor.

Alastair grinned and sat on the kitchen counter next to her, "Yeah, Professor Oak,"

His mother stopped still, her son's answer sinking in, it was then that Eevee decided to start rubbing itself against her legs. Looking down she laughed, and hugged Alastair.

"Oh son, I'm so glad they let you train again," she laughed and then knelt down to pick up Eevee, stroking it, "Oh my and they gave you an Eevee too, and isn't she the cutest thing."

Alastair smiled at his mother, it was nice seeing her happy again.

"Knowing you Alastair, you've already packed and are ready to run off to travel the world, haven't you?"

Alastair nodded slightly, her voice had dropped slightly, as if just realising what this meant, that he would be leaving.

"Well then, I'm proud of you son. Stay for lunch please, and then you can leave."

Alastair hugged her again, "Of course Mum, I wouldn't leave without a proper goodbye."

Pulling away slightly his mother covered her eyes, before her son could see them filling up with tears, and she walked out, making an excuse. Alastair stared after her, feeling confident in his decision to keep his real plans from her. If she had known where he was going, and who he was looking for, she would be even more heartbroken. It wasn't fair on her, having only recently lost her husband, for him to leave her with the fear of him sharing his father's fate. Alastair went to sit on the sofa, and smiled as his new Eevee jumped on next to him, nuzzling at his arm. Pulling the Pokémon onto his lap, he stroked it softly, it felt so good to be able to hold a Pokémon of his own. He began to think of battle strategies for when the time arose, he had spent so much time watching his father at the gym, and even though Alastair couldn't train with Pokémon himself, his father had taught him everything he knew. He was ready, as much as it hurt to leave his mother like this, he had to do this, and his determination gave him strength. Eevee looked up at him, and for a split second, Alastair thought he saw the same determination in his Pokémon's eyes.

* * *

><p>The map of Kanto had 5 black crosses on it. Each one through a different city, signifying that the Gym Leader there had been taken care of, and were out of action. Only 3 remained and still the League did nothing to retaliate, except create an even more elaborate way to flaunt their arrogance. This Global Elite Four, a collection of fools playing heroes in an attempt to show strength. He chuckled slightly and reached for a Pokéball, releasing His Charizard, who emerged with a roar of flame. He nodded and climbed onto the Pokémon's back, whispering something to it and shifting his position as the Pokémon began to flap its enormous wings, and flew out of the Cinnabar Island cave, high into the sky. Pulling His hood tighter around his face, He smiled, but it was not a smile that would encourage a person. It was the kind of smile that would cause fear and encourage people to run. A smile filled with a thousand emotions, but kindness was not one of them.<p>

The flight to the Indigo Plateau was a short one for Charizard and as they circled above the Kanto League He saw what he was looking for. One of the Kanto Elite Four training his Pokémon in the fields at the summit of Mount Silver, it was Koga, the eldest of the current Elite Four, a master of Poison type Pokémon. Charizard plummeted down, blasting fire towards the elderly ninja.

* * *

><p>Alastair's mother came downstairs, a while later, her eyes red, and holding something tightly to her chest. Alastair stood up quickly as he heard her coming and busied himself making food for the two of them and his new Pokémon. She was silent as she went to sit at the table, and said nothing when he brought her something to eat. Instead as he went to sit down himself, she grabbed his arm and pushed something into his hand.<p>

"Mum...what is this?" He started before realising what it was she had given him, "Mum, I can't take this."

"You have to Alastair, it's what he would have wanted."

Sighing Alastair sat down in the chair closest to his mother and stared. It was his Father's Pokégear, a new model, that he had bought upon their arrival in Cerulean.

"He would have been so proud of you," his mother began, her voice growing thick and her eyes watering again, "He always said he was, even though you made mistakes in the past, that you had grown into a fine young man, and if he was here, he would be so proud that you had been allowed to train again."

Alastair closed his eyes, trying not to let himself cry, trying not let his emotions break his nerve. As if sensing this, Eevee stopped eating and pawed at his leg, staring at him with that look of determination Alastair had thought he had seen earlier. Nodding he cleared his throat and looked at his mother.

"Thank you Mum, this means a lot to me. I will do my best to make you both proud."

The meal continued in silence after this, and after many tears from his mother, a lot of advice and the tightest hug Alastair had ever received, eventually he collected his things and left the house. The sun was still high in the sky as he stepped outside, and he breathed in the air around him deeply. Everything felt new to him at this moment in time. He was going to travel, and search for the man responsible for his loss. Looking down at Eevee, he nodded and began to walk, his Pokémon following closely at his feet.

As he walked away his Mother stared after him until he was far beyond the horizon, by the time she moved, the sun was already setting, and she had no more tears left to cry. She sat down, and turned the television on, hoping that the mindless news would lull her to sleep. The news channel blared on, still loud from where Alastair had been watching television this morning.

"Shocking news just in!" The announcer declared his voice panicked and surprised, "Kanto, recently the source of much tragedy has now been rocked again by another terrible occurrence. This afternoon, according to our sources the Elite Four Member, Koga, went missing, believed to be kidnapped. When Police arrived at the scene, the field he was training in was scorched and his Pokéballs were left in the field, with the Ninja Master nowhere to be found. Upon further inspection one of the Pokéballs had a note attached, from the kidnapper, claiming that the League's time had come."

Alastair's mother sat up, her mind filling with memories of her Husband's murder again. It all seemed so surreal that this was happening, first trainers, then Gym Leaders, and now a member of the Elite Four. One of the greatest trainers in Kanto, she was not a religious woman, and she never had been, but that night she prayed for her son's safety.


	5. Chapter 4 First Encounters

Chapter 4 is here. Thank you Afterdawn for the reviews you have been giving me, they are a nice source of encouragement. Also thank you to everyone else who has read it and given comments on it. It means an awful lot.

So yeah, I hope you enjoy this chapter, I enjoyed writing it. Reviews and things on this chapter are most welcome, and very much wanted.

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><p>The Cinnabar Cave was almost completely empty, but still showed signs of someone having been there recently. On the floor near it lay the body of the now, ex-Elite Four member, Koga, his body appeared to have been subjected to torture, wounds that looked to be have been caused recently. Red had entered the cave, in an attempt to hide from the world again, to give himself time to think and had found Koga's corpse. It was strange, staring at the corpse, memories of Red's own battle with Koga flooding back to him. His first visit to Fuchsia City, he had been filled with wonder. The safari zone was still very popular then, and he and Pikachu had visited there, in an attempt to find rare and powerful Pokémon.<p>

After leaving the Safari Zone, having been the winner of the Safari Zone contest, and winning the technique, Surf for one of his Pokémon. He was ecstatic, and spent the entire day, training his then newly evolved Blastoise with the new technique on the beaches south of the city. The next day, he went to the Gym to challenge Koga, the master ninja trainer. The battle was hard fought, but like all of his battles, Red eventually won, earning himself the Soul Badge, and a commendation for his skill.

Now, decades later, Red saw the Gym Leader again, in more tragic circumstances. Leaving the cave, Red released Lapras into the water, which appeared with a sad cry. Jumping on to his back Red began to use Surf to swim towards Fuchsia City, to the where he believed the nearest Phone would be. He had to let someone know that Koga was dead, and where he was. The Police would deal with this, but he needed to stay hidden, avoid awkward questions, about his whereabouts since his defeat.

* * *

><p>He was surprised; the Police force had found Koga's remains a lot faster than anticipated. He was glad He had vanished again before they arrived, but it was time to create a new base. Slowly the Elite Four would be brought down, and then the Pokémon League would be brought to its knees.<p>

For now however, it was prudent to strike suddenly and unexpectedly, to keep the world on its feet, and leave them guessing at what His intent actually was.

Staring at a map, He decided, that perhaps the best place to hide for now would be in Johto. He had never been there and so nothing there would link Him to the activities in Kanto.

* * *

><p>Alastair was tired, he had been walking for the majority of the day now, and it was almost sundown, Eevee was tired to, and Alastair had been carrying her for the last hour, the small Pokémon wrapped blissfully around his shoulders, her tail flicking every so often, tickling Alastair's face. There had been very little activity on the road, trainers were terrified and didn't want to fight in case they were attacked, so many of them had returned home, quitting their journeys. Even the wild Pokémon seemed scared, sensing the tension in the air, rarely appearing and when they did, they vanished just as quickly, before Alastair had a chance to catch any of them. He was disappointed by this if he was honest, and Eevee seemed to share his disappointment. The fox Pokémon seemed eager to battle, and even perched on Alastair's shoulders, was keeping an eye out for any wild creatures that seemed curious enough to come out of hiding.<p>

Finally, tired of walking, Alistair decided to rest, and sat down, pulling his bag from his shoulders, Eevee jumped to the ground and walked in a circle, stretching its legs and yawning. Alastair smiled and joined it on the floor, sitting next to his newest friend, and pulling a sleeping bag from his backpack. Next he pulled a small amount of food from his bag, and poured it into a bowl, before placing it in front of his Pokémon. Eevee growled happily, and began to eat slowly, while Alastair read the packet, aloud,

"This Pokémon chow is a must have for any Eevee, or any of its evolved forms. It is designed to encourage growth, especially enhancing its strength and speed, as well as giving the Pokémon a glossy thick coat, to make it perfect for contests as well at battling."

Alastair grunted, it sounded like typical market talk to him, but Professor Oak had sent it over so perhaps it was as good as it claimed. Shrugging slightly, he put the chow back in his backpack and pulled out some food for himself. It wasn't anything big, just a sandwich his mum had packed for him. He smiled and began to eat.

By the time the pair had finished eating it was dark, and Alastair decided, that now it might be the perfect time to rest. Eevee appeared to agree, curling up next to him in a little ball and closing her eyes. Smiling, he lay down next to Eevee and closed his eyes, falling asleep.

The sound of Eevee, growling loudly woke Alastair up with a start. Opening his eyes he looked around, and saw her standing by his bag, growling at something in the darkness. Standing up he heard the sound of someone laughing softly.

"So, you seem a little old to be a new trainer, but oh well, the outcome will be the same."

"Who are you?" Alastair shouted and Eevee ran back to her trainer, standing in front of him defiantly.

The man came forward slowly, dressed all in black, a Pokéball in his hand and laughed again,

"Your Pokémon seems feisty, but it is still new, untested, untrained. This should be easy pickings. Raticate, Go!"

Alastair grunted as the man's Pokémon appeared, clearly he wanted to fight, but his Pokémon was far stronger than Eevee was. Suddenly Alastair figured out the man's intention. He was one of those thugs, who had been attacking trainers, someone connected to the man who killed his Father.

"Eevee! Use quick attack now!"

Eevee was ready and sprung into action, moving so quickly the Raticate was unable to avoid the attack. The rat Pokémon flew backwards from the impact and hit one of the surrounding trees. The man in black grunted as his Pokémon was hit and shouted at the Raticate,

"Get up you worthless piece of shit! Don't let that runt make a fool of us! Use hyper fang!"

Alastair's mind was racing; Hyper Fang was a dangerous attack, especially against a low level Pokémon like Eevee. It was then he noticed the Raticate was wheezing, and it seemed though chunks of its fur were missing. The Pokémon was already weak, as if it had fought countless battles before this one, without ever being healed or allowed to rest for long. Alastair sighed, even when he was running with gangs as a child, he would never treat his Pokémon that way.

"Eevee, dodge the attack and use sand-attack!"

Eevee jumped up in the air, higher than Alastair thought possible of the tiny fox Pokémon, completely avoiding the attack, flying over the Raticate, and landing on all fours behind it, as her opponent turned, she flicked her tail in the dust, sending a cloud of dirt toward the Pokémon's eyes. Raticate reeled and swung wildly, its claws sailing far above Eevee's head. Eevee took its chance, without even waiting for Alastair's command.

* * *

><p>Blue shook his head and turned off the television, feeling sick to his stomach. Koga had been found dead earlier, that day, his body found in the Cinnabar Caves. The reports said he had been tortured before being killed. It was terrible, the things that happened in the world. Blue had seen so much tragedy in his life, but nothing compared to the loss of so many trainers, some of them friends of his and his Uncles.<p>

Blue wasn't a detective, he was a Professor, a specialist in the subject of Pokémon breeding and the genetic traits passed on from parent to child. Despite this though, Blue felt he had to help get to the bottom of these events somehow. The attacks were random, targets ranging from regular trainers, to most recently a member of the Elite Four, the only thing connecting them was they were all vicious, cruel methods of attack, all involving Pokémon. There seemed to be a purpose to it though, but Blue could not figure out what that purpose was. Team Rocket, Aqua, Magma, Galactic and Plasma, all of them had clear defined purposes, and they were not shy of letting the world know their goals.

This new group, and their purpose was shrouded in mystery though, only two members had been caught so far, and the truth of the matter was, they didn't even seem sure why they were doing it themselves. They were promised power, had been given stronger Pokémon, and were told to attack trainers. They were told by an unknown person, who only contacted them once, gave them their mission and Pokémon, and disappeared. The police were baffled, and Blue understood why, none of this made any sense to him either.

He sighed again, maybe he should talk to Ethan about this, maybe the Global Elite Four could help him somehow, maybe they could help put a stop to this, rather than leaving it to the police and the Kanto Elite Four, especially now one of their own had been murdered. It was times like this, he thought about Red, and how strong he was, and how he had put a stop to Team Rocket all those years ago. He could help now, but he hadn't been seen in decades.

Putting on his lab coat, Blue walked outside, and was met by one of his oldest friends, an Umbreon who had been with him for most of his career. It was this Umbreon's child that he had given to Alastair, a Pokémon who had inherited much of the strength of its father. Blue smiled, Alastair did not know this, but Blue had seen him before, on a trip to visit his father. He had seen the young man sitting on Cape Cerulean watching the Pokémon. He had seen something special in him then, and that was why Blue had specifically requested he be allowed to regain his licence, and offered to provide Alastair his new Pokémon. Soon, hopefully Alastair would arrive in Pallet Town, and Blue could see if his hunch about the boy had been correct.

* * *

><p>Raticate was unconscious, despite being larger and stronger than Alastair's Eevee, Alastair had beaten it. The man in black was cursing loudly at the unconscious form of his Pokémon, not even bothering to call it back into its ball. It was then that Alastair lost control. Jumping forward Alastair swung his fist at the man's jaw.<p>

With a yell the man fell to the floor, and Alastair kicked at the man's stomach.

"Who are you!" He shouted, as Eevee stood and watched, understanding that this needed to be done.

The man coughed and spat blood, "I'm nobody," he cried, the pain wracking his body, "I was just told to attack people, I came here today, from Pewter, and found you, thought you'd be easy."

Alastair kicked out again, "Who told you to do this..."his voice grew cold and hard, maybe this was the break he needed.

The man still cried on the floor, curled up and clutching his stomach, "I...I don't know, a couple of weeks ago, I lost for the ninth time at the Pewter Gym, a man was waiting for me, he told me if I started attacking people at random, and taking their Pokémon he would give me a stronger one, and he would find me if he had more plans for me. He gave me that Raticate and sent me on my way..."

Alastair cursed and sat down, "Get the fuck out of here..." he growled, and the man slowly got up and walked away, taking his Raticate with him.

Eevee walked over, and jumped on Alastair's lap, pawing softly at his legs. Sighing he stroked the small brown Pokémon,

"Thank you, you did so well in that battle..." he whispered and buried his face in the Pokémon's fur.

Eevee licked at the tears running down her trainers face, as if trying to make him feel better.


	6. Chapter 5  The Bond of a Champion

Hey, so I am still around, and I haven't written anything in a while as I've been crazy busy at work and with life and the usual stuff that gets in the way. Personally I don't like this chapter very much, especially the beginning, but I'm good with everything else. So I hope you enjoy this, Reviews, criticisms and suggestions welcome as always and I really hope you enjoy it, and I will try and be more common with updating this. Thanks again for all the reviews of the last few chapters.

* * *

><p>As the sun rose over the peak of Mount Moon, Alistair awoke his vision blurry from the tears he had shed the night before. He had dreamt of his Father, dreamt of him winning Pokémon battles, and training Alistair to treat Pokémon properly. The complete opposite of the way the trainer Alistair had battled the night before. The state of that Raticate had left Alistair feeling sick to his stomach. Rubbing his eyes to clear his vision, he looked down at Eevee, who was curled up next to him, her warmth made him feel better. Sitting up, he was surprised by the sound of Pokémon scurrying around, startled by his sudden movement, even Eevee yelped in surprise as she was moved by him.<p>

Smiling, Alistair stroked the back of his Pokémon's neck before beginning to pack his stuff back into his bag, and grabbing some more food for his partner while he finished packing and stood up. Looking onwards towards Mount Moon he smiled, soon he would be in Pewter City, and once there he planned to find out as much as he could as to why the Gym Leader closed the Pewter City Gym.

Slinging his bag onto his shoulder and letting Eevee hop onto the other, Alistair began to walk up the track to the Cerulean entrance to Mount Moon, wondering if there would be any trainers in the caves, or had they all be scared off too.

* * *

><p>In Pallet Town, there was an event that happened every year, to celebrate the relationship between Pokémon and Humans, known as the Festival of Bonds. It was a tradition that dated back centuries, and had grown each year, with people travelling from all over the world to join in the festivities, travelling with their Pokémon companions to meet other trainers, and battle, trade breeding tips and meet new and interesting Pokémon from regions some trainers have never been to. The Festival of Bonds this year however, was strangely subdued, with trainers being too scared to travel to Kanto while the attacks were happening. The few trainers that did make it to Pallet were quiet, as if they were afraid of talking too loudly in case they were attacked suddenly, and their Pokémon could sense this too. Blue sighed as he wandered around the town, hoping to see the streets full of trainers and Pokémon playing or battling with each other, but instead finding the streets almost deserted. It was disheartening that the world had been affected this much by a group of thugs and common criminals.<p>

Eventually Blue returned to the laboratory where he did his research, and found Ethan waiting for him. Quickly Blue invited him inside and offered him a drink.

"This is a surprise; I didn't expect you to arrive until tomorrow Ethan,"

Ethan smiled, the kind smile he always wore when he was talking, a genuine smile, the kind that made him so popular as a trainer, and a friend, "Well, I know I'm not scheduled until tomorrow afternoon for the festival Professor, but actually I wanted to speak with you before I was wrested away by my more public duties."

Blue looked at his friend, and nodded, "It's about time, I was wondering when you were going to get involved. People look to you for help you know; especially now you have the Global Elite Four up and running."

Ethan's smile dropped, and he sighed, "I know Professor, but we're not a Police Force, we're just trainers like everyone else..."

"That isn't right Ethan and we both know it..."Blue said, his voice dropping to an angry whisper, "You and you're group are the strongest, the best of us, and yet you have done nothing to help stop other trainers from losing their Pokémon, or even worse being killed."

The two of them sat there in silence for a while, staring at the walls, each one waiting for the other to say something.

Blue stood up, and began to pour himself a glass of whisky. He needed a drink; things were getting worse, after Koga's death the day before, more and more reports of trainers being attacked and killed were pouring in. Even worse than that was something the Police hadn't yet told the public, but the attacks were spreading to Johto as well.

Ethan finally broke the silence with a cough, "I'm sorry Blue, I truly am. I know you're right about this, and I have looked into some of the attacks. I haven't been able to find much, but there is something I have noticed, in regard to the murders. The Gym Leaders that have died and Koga, they have all been killed by Pokémon attacks, but the regular trainers who have been killed. They were all stabbed or choked, or by other means but never by a Pokémon."

Blue turned around and drank some of his drink, processing what Ethan had just told him, "Do you know if the Police have noticed this?"

Ethan shook his head, "I don't think they have, but I think it means that the Leaders are being killed by one person, whereas everyone else is being killed by henchmen."

Blue closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, thinking about what Mr Fuji had said in Lavender Town, about how close the bond between a trainer and his Pokémon has to be for a Pokémon to follow that kind of order, a Pokémon that's emotions were tied to its trainers completely. In this case though, the attacks had come from different types of Pokémon, what kind of trainer had a bond that extreme with a whole team of Pokémon.

Opening his eyes Blue stared at Ethan, he had that kind of bond with his Pokémon, the same bond Blue had with his Umbreon, the kind of bond forged by overcoming challenges, emotional and physical, the kind of bond forged by journeying for a long time. The bond of a champion.

"If you're right Ethan, then that person has to be someone like you. Someone who has forged an unbreakable bond with their Pokémon, someone who sees them as partners and friends, someone who has the kind of bond that makes a trainer great, and undefeatable."

Ethan sighed and placed his head in hands, "If I'm right Professor, then this person is like nothing any of us have dealt with before. People using Pokémon as tools can be beaten if you and you're friends give everything you've got. A person who's giving just as much as you, that's a lot more difficult, and we already know this trainer is good enough to take down League Leaders."

"I know Ethan, it's a worrying state of affairs, but surely now you can see why you have to step in. If it is someone that powerful, you might be the only person who can stop them."

Standing up Ethan began to walk to the door of Blue's laboratory. He turned and smiled at Blue, "Yes, I do have to step in, but it won't just be me. I will talk to the others and get their opinions, but with or without them I will do what I can, I just hope you will be there to help me."

Blue nodded and smiled, "Of course my friend, Umbreon and me will aid you in whatever way we can."

* * *

><p>Charizard growled as he landed in the fields between Lavender Town and Saffron City, and Red patted his old friend's neck softly. Looking at his trainer, Charizard flicked his head towards Lavender Town, his eyes sad and angry and let out a puff of smoke from his nostrils.<p>

Red nodded, "I know buddy, but it's been too long since we've been here, and Pikachu will start to think we've forgotten about him."

Charizard snorted again and bowed his head, while Red hugged him as tightly as he could manage, "I know, I miss him too..."he sighed, "We all do."

Putting Charizard back into his Pokéball, Red walked east, through the fields towards the town, the Radio Tower, standing tall above the rest of the town, its modernism clashing with the rest of the city, a fault that only served to make the gleaming tower look more menacing than welcoming. Red grimaced, with each step closer to the town he became less sure of himself, unsure if he could deal with returning to the burial place of his best friend. With each passing second he felt his emotions boiling up inside of him, all the rage, guilt and sadness, building up until the tears began to fill his eyes.

As if sensing his trainer's pain, Charizard released himself from his Pokéball and roared. Red looked at his friend and nodded, perhaps now wasn't the right time. He wasn't ready, even now; he still couldn't face his pain.


End file.
